Editing Crail (section)

==History==
The site on which the parish church is built appears to have religious associations that pre-date the parish church's foundation in early medieval times, as evidenced by an 8th-century cross-slab preserved in the church.<ref name="gfs">{{cite web |title=Crail: Overview |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst71.html |website=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The parish church was itself dedicated (in the 13th-century) to the early holy man St. [[Maelrubha]] of [[Applecross]] in [[Wester Ross]].

[[Crail Castle]] was an occasional residence of [[David I of Scotland]] during the 12th century but subsequently fell into ruin.<ref>{{Canmore|num=70949 |desc=Crail Castle |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref><ref name="gfs"/>

Crail became a royal burgh in 1178 during the reign of King [[William the Lion]].<ref name="auto">''Scottish Seaside Towns'', Brian Edwards {{ISBN|0-563-20452-4}}</ref> [[Robert the Bruce]] granted permission to hold markets on a Sunday.<ref name="gfs"/>

[[Mary of Guise]], afterward consort of [[James V of Scotland|James V]], landed in Crail in June 1538 after a severe storm, and was hospitably entertained in the ancient mansion of Balcomie Castle, whence, accompanied by the king, she proceeded to St. Andrew's.{{sfn|Lewis|1851|loc=[https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi/page/235/mode/2up 235]}}

[[John Knox]], visiting Crail on his way to [[St Andrews]] in 1559, was moved to deliver a sermon in [[Crail Parish Church]]. Afterwards, protesters went through the church and forcefully removed images which were put in place by previous generations but were now considered ideologically unsound.{{sfn|Wood|1887|loc=[https://archive.org/details/eastneukoffifeit00wood/page/48/mode/2up 48]}} In August 1583, many of the inhabitants of Crail attacked nearby Wormiston House, which belonged to Sir John Anstruther. They filled up newly made ponds and ditches, and destroyed a plantation of ash trees. They were vexed at Anstruther because his new ditches had been built on land they claimed to belong to them as common land. The [[Privy Council of Scotland]] ordered them to rebuild the dykes.{{sfn|Masson|1880}}

In 2017, the Community Council was granted the Letters Patent to the Crail Shield and Coat of Arms.{{sfn|Conolly|1869|loc=[https://archive.org/details/fifianaormemoria00cono/page/105/mode/2up pg263]}} This was lost when the Royal Burgh of Crail Council was abolished in 1976.